Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. And if you think this guy’s been busy, wait until you see the other SXSW reviews I run today...
Hey Harry! I was in Austin last week for the SXSW Film Festival and got to see 17 films in 4 days. This was the second year in a row I've attended but the first time I got a 'badge'. These things are like golden tickets because you can get into basically every film you want to (only anyone can get them for $275). One obvious highlight was standing behind Massawyrm in line for one of the screenings. He told me he didn't like Knocked Up though! Anyways, I ranked the 17 films I saw from worst to first. If you use this call me El Deaño. 17) Forfeit- This is the worst film I've seen in quite some time. It is, perhaps, the worst film I've ever seen. In the Q&A after the film the director said it was supposed to be a heist movie. The heist wasn't even mentioned for the first half of the movie. I would say more but you don't want to know. I want my 90 minutes back. 1 out of 10. 16) When a Man Falls In the Forest - What is this title? Is it a riddle? Well, the answer is that if the man in question is the director of this movie I would let him lay there and die. Basically if you want to watch 4 super-depressed people hate themselves and everyone around them for just under 2 hours you'll love it. Not me. I hated this movie - end of story. 2 out of 10. 15) He Was a Quiet Man - Christian Slater is a psycho, would-be killer. He becomes a hero quite by accident and Elisha Cuthbert is in debt to him for saving her life. They fall in love. Will it last? Who cares - this movie sucks. 2 out of 10. 14) Scrambled Beer - Crazy movie from Chile about two friends - one a clean-cut guy with a pretty girlfriend, the other a screw-up who has no job and drinks all day. Then crazy stuff starts happening. It's actually pretty funny in some parts and overall I would say that I liked it. It made no sense and was super-crazy though. I did get to sit behind the director and directly to the right of the star of the film (the screw-up guy). That was kind of cool. 4 out of 10. 13) Kurt Cobain: About a Son - Basically audio transcripts used for the book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana" are cut down to 90 minutes. While you listen to Cobain talk about his life you watch footage of where he grew up, where he hung out, where he played music, etc. You get a lot of insight into Cobain's frame of mind that is different from what you might think. 4 out of 10. 12) Flakes - Guy works at a cereal bar but his girlfriend wants him to quit and work on his music instead. He doesn't so she goes to work for a competitor. Hilarity ensues. It was a cute idea and the I thought some of the cereal stuff was clever and fun in parts but it's just not that great. 5 out of 10. 11) 638 Ways to Kill Castro - Pretty interesting documentary about all the foiled plots to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro. 6 out of 10. 10) The Lather Effect - A group of friends who graduated high school in the 80's throw a 1980's party. The day after they romanticize the past and old feeling creep up. It's actually pretty funny and even if it was a little hokey I liked it. 6 out of 10. 9) Cashback - After breaking up with his girlfriend the hero can't sleep. Finding an extra 8 hours in his day he takes up a night shift job and falls for a clerk. It's a comedy though and the film it brought to mind was "8 Days A Week". The comedy was hilarious and there is some clever camera work. If it ever comes out of DVD it's worth renting. Oh yeah, almost forgot, lots of gratuitous nudity. 7 out of 10. 8) Quiet City - This was an awesome and weird movie. At times it is absolutely beautiful at times it's very dull. The director held some shots so long that I wanted to strangle him/her but overall I'm very glad I saw this movie. Girl comes to New York and can't get in touch with her friend. She befriends a guy and hangs out with him in the city for a couple of days. If you've ever seen "Before Sunrise" there are some obvious similarities. 7 out of 10. 7) Skills Like This - One of the funniest movies I saw at the festival. The plot was kind of crazy and the ending was weird but for pure comedy this was the nuts. I'll definitely be buying the DVD when it comes out. Basically a guy who sucks at just about everything he does finds out he's good at stealing when he successfully robs a bank. He then somehow starts to date the very bank teller he got the money from. The hero's over-the-top friend is consistently funny throughout. 8 out of 10. 6) Doubletime - Some people jump rope. Some people double dutch. Those two groups meet at a competition where teams compete in a 'fusion' competition that combines jump rope, double dutch, and.....dance! It's actually a pretty neat sports documentary in the vein of "Heart of the Game" which I saw last year at SXSW. 8 out of 10. 5) Bella - A former soccer star forms an unlikely bond with a soon-to-be-mother. It's a really well done movie with great performances. This won the Toronto Film Festival in 2006. 8 out of 10. 4) A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar - The films follows 6 people attempting to pass the California State Bar Exam. The California Bar is the hardest in the nation with just a 39 percent pass rate. This is a great documentary which builds tension the entire time until we find out the fates of the 6 participants. 9 out of 10. 3) Billy the Kid - The story of an odd 15-year old who is very special. Even how he is special is special. He refuses to conform to social norms which makes him an outcast at school. Still, we find that he isn't unlike many teenage boys trying to find his way in the world; not quite knowing how to do it. It's an amazing documentary which ended up winning the Jury Award for best Documentary. 9 out of 10. 2) Knocked Up - This is not an independent film. But, I saw it 3 months before you will so hahahaha. This film is awesome. If it was released in 2006 it would have finished in the top 5 on my 2006 movie list without a doubt. Funny, touching, really funny, and hilarious. This easily could have been number one on my list but it may have been hurt because it's not an independent film. By the way, expect this to make at least $150 million this summer. 10 out of 10. 1) The King of Kong - I have a hard time believing that any movie this year will top this one on my year end list. Billy Mitchell is cool. He is a legend in the gaming world. People look up to him. He holds the world record in many video games including Donkey Kong. The Donkey Kong record is thought of as one of the most prestigious records to have in the video game world. Steve Wiebe is a loser. He's never won anything in his life. He has a penchant for choking. So, when Steve decides to break the world record in Donkey Kong on a whim it seems impossible. This documentary tracks the too good to be true story of Steve's mission to break the record and what Billy Mitchell will do to stop that from happening. This movie was picked up by Picturehouse and will be released later this year. The story is so amazing that the rights have also been picked up and may be released as a big budget film in the near future. This film is a must-see when it comes out in theaters. 10 out of 10.
